Legs · Bodyweight
Single Leg Deadlift with Knee Lift
How to do the single leg deadlift with knee lift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand on one leg and hinge at the hip, lowering your hands toward the floor while your free leg extends straight behind you. Drive back up to standing, then finish by lifting that free knee up to hip height for a moment of balance before the next rep.
- 1Your standing hamstring and glute loading on the way down
- 2Your core and hips holding level through the hinge
- 3A strong glute squeeze and balance as you lift the knee
Common mistakes
- Rounding your back or letting your shoulders slump
- Letting your hips twist open or the raised leg drop sideways
- Rushing the knee lift instead of controlling your balance
Muscles worked
The single leg deadlift with knee lift mainly works the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the quads, calves, upper abs, lower abs, obliques, and hip flexors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackPrimary
- HamstringsPrimary
- QuadsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the single leg deadlift with knee lift for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
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- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.